Gate-latch.



No. 660,392. Patented Oct. 23. I900.

12. w. RANDALL.

GATE LATCH.

(Application filed June 4, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

GEORGE W. RANDALL, OF SPRINGDALE, ARKANSAS.

GATE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,392, dated October 23, 1900.

Application filed June 4, 1900. Serial No. 19,010. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. RANDALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springdale, in the county of Washington and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Gate and Door Latch, of which the fol-' dinally to form a post-engaging locking-arm lowing is a specification.

- This invention relates to gate and door latches, and has for one object to provide an improved latch which is automatically thrown into locked position by the closing of the door or gate and can be disengaged by manual operation of the latch only. It is furthermore designed to provide a simple latch having but few parts, all of which are mounted upon the gate or door post, so that the latch may directly engage the gate or door,

whereby the device is notaffected by any sag or looseness of the gate or door.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the ac co mpanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, propor tion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. v In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a gate or door latch constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, partly in section, of the latch in its locked position, Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof.

Corresponding parts are designated by like characters of reference in all of the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the;

latch-bar, which is preferably formed from single length of stiff wire or a small metal rod that is bent intermediate of its ends into a loop-shaped or snbstantially- U -shaped latchbar. One end portion of the Wire is twisted into one or more eyes 2, located between the opposite sides of the U-shaped latch,"thence rearwardly and longitudinally of the outer side of the latch, and finally is bent transversely through the U-sh'aped latch, so as to form an intermediate transverse trip-arm or projection 3, which is upon the inner side of the latch. The opposite end portion of the wire is bent into one or more coils or eyes 4, alined with the other coils 2, so as to form a bearing-sleeve, the coils 4 being located upon the outer or lower side of the latch-bar. The latter extremity of the wire is bent longituor projection 5, and the latter has its extremity bent outwardly to form a supporting lug or shoulder 6, which projects in a direction opposite to that of the trip-arm.

The latch is connected to the gate or door post 7 by means of a supporting rod or spindle 8, which is in the form of a staple, having a substantially long and straight transverse head portion. The upper prong 9 of the staple is longer than the lower prong, so that the head or bar Sinclines upwardly and outwardly from the post. The latch is mounted upon the staple by means of the sleeve formed by the coils 2 and 4, which hingedly or pivotally embrace the bar 8 and also permit of the latch being slid vertically thereon.

To set the latch, so that the gate or door 10 may be automatically looked thereby, the latch is raised to the upper end of the supporting-rod 8 and then turned so as to project outwardly at substantially right angles to the post, whereby the supporting shoulder or lug 6 engages with the adjacent outer face of the post, so as to support the latch,in its set position. It will now be seen that the trip-arm 3 is disposed in the path of the free edge of the door or gate, so that as the latter-is closed it engages the trip-arm, and thereby turns the latch upon its pivotal connection with the supporting-rod 8. As the latch turns the supporting lug or shoulder 6 is disengaged from the post and permits the latch to automatic- .ally drop by gravity, and when the gate is in its closed position the latch will have assumed the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, with the trip-arm held between the free edge of thegate and the post and the post-engaging locking-arm bearing againsttheouterface of the postand uponthe oppositeyside of the pivotal or hinged axis of thelatch-bar, whereby the gate cannot become'accidentallyopened, and it is absolutely neoessa ry to manually elevate and turn the latch before it can be disengaged from the gate.

From the foregoing description it will be Seen that the supporting-rod 8 is inclined, so that the locking-arm may lie close to the post in the locked position of the latch and that the point of intersection of the rod and the post may form a stop to limit the downward movement of the latch; also, a keeper is dispensed with, and the-latch engages directly with the gate, so as to insure a positive engagement of the latch, even though the gate or door has sagged to a considerable extent. Moreover, the latch cannot be disengaged by an. elevation of the gate, and thus the latter cannot be opened by stock. Should the triparm bind between the gate and the post, either of the latter may be provided with anotch or recess 11 to receive the trip-a rm.

That is claimed is- 1. Ihe combination with a post, of an upright latch-support carried by the post and disposed outwardly therefrom, and a horizontal latch-bar, having an intermediate hori zontally-swinging pivotal connection with the latch-support, and said pivotal connection also being slidably mounted upon the latchsupport, the portions of the latch-bar at opposite sides of the pivot thereof forming gateengaging and post-engaging portions, respectively, the gate-engaging portion projecting laterally at the gate side of the post, and the opposite portion extending transversely across and in engagement with the post, at the lowermost limit of the latch-bar, and the latter being free to swing upon its pivot at the uppermost limit of the bar.

2. A gate latch, comprising an upright latch-support for application to a post, and a latch-bar havinga horizontally-swinging and vertically-slidable pivotal connection with the support, and a post-engaging locking-arm projecting from the pivotal connection of the latch and located longitudinally opposite the latter, the latch-bar being free to swing at its upper limit and locked against swinging movement at its lower limit,'and its free and locked positions being substantially at right angles to each other.

3. A gate -1at-ch, comprising an upright latch-support, a horizontal latch-bar, having a vertically-slidable and horizontally-swinging pivotal connection with the support, a post-engaging locking-arm projecting from the pivotal connection and located longitudinally opposite the latch-bar, and a lateral trip projection located intermediate of the free end of the latch-bar and its pivotal connection with the support.

4. In a gate or door latch, the combination with a post, of a vertically-disposed supporting-rod disposed outwardly from the post, and t a latchbar, which is mounted to swing laterally and to slide vertically upon the support, and also provided with a longitudinal arm projecting at the inner end of the latch, said arm having a frictional sup porting engagement with the post at the upper limit of the latch and a locking engagement With said post at the lower limit of the latch.

5. In a gate or door latch, the combination with a post, of a supporting-rod carried there by and inclined upwardly and outwardly therefrom, and a latch-bar, which is mounted to swing laterally and to slide vertically upon the rod, and also provided with a longitudinal arm projecting at the inner end of the latch-bar, said artn having a frictional supporting engagement With the post, when the latch is at its uppermost limit and disposed outwardly at substantially right angles to the post, and also having a locking engagement transversely across the post, at the lowermost limit of the latch.

6. A gate or door latch, comprising a vertically-inclined supporting-rod, and a latchbar, having a sleeve located at its inner end and slidably and pivotally embracing the supporting-rod, an intermediate transverse triprod, and a combined supporting and locking project-ion extending longitudinally at the opposite side of the sleeve.

7. A gate or door latch, comprising a vertically-disposed supporting-rod, and a latch formed from asingle length of stiflf'wire,which is bent intermediate of its ends into a substantially U-shaped latch-bar, one end portion of the Wire being twisted into coils or eyes, and then bent transversely through the U-shaped bar to form an intermediate trip projection, the opposite portion of the wire being bent into eyes corresponding and alined with the other eyes to form a sleeve slid-ably and pivotally embracing the supporting-rod, and then bent into a longitudinally-disposed and substantially L-shaped combined supporting and locking arni.

8. A gate-latch, com prisinga vertically-inclined supporting spindle or rod,-having lateral terminal attaching devices for connection with a post, and a horizontally-swinging latch-bar, having its inner end provided with a vertically-slidable pivotal connection with the spindle, a lateral intermediate horizontal trip projection at the inner side of the latchbar, and a longitutlinal locking projection extending from the pivotal connection of the latch-bar and in a direction opposite to the latter. a

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as I my own 1 have hereto affixed my signature in t the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. RANDALL.

Witnesses:

WM. E. BRUFFEY, EDWARD V. MAJOR.

too 

